INFLUENCE OF KERNEL SIZE AND SHRIVELING ON SOFT WHEAT MILLING AND BAKING QUALITY

Small kernels of soft wheat are sometimes considered to be harder than larger kernels and to have inferior milling and baking characteristic s. This study distinguished between kernel size and kernel shriveling. Nine cultivars were separated into large, medium, and small kernels t hat had no shriveling. Eleven cultivars were separated into sound, mod erate, and severely shriveled kernels. Shriveling greatly decreased th e amount of flour produced during milling. It adversely affected all o ther milling quality characteristics lash content, endosperm separatio n index, and friability). Shriveled kernels Produced flour that had in ferior soft wheat baking qualities (smaller cookie diameter and higher alkaline water retention capacity). In contrast, test weight and mill ing qualities were independent of kernel size. Small, nonshriveled ker nels had slightly better baking quality (larger cookie diameter) than larger nonshriveled kernels, Small kernels were softer than large kern els (measured by break flour yield, particle size index, and flour par ticle size). Small nonshriveled kernels did not have diminished total flour yield potential or other reduced flour milling characteristics. Those observations suggest a possibility of separating small sound ker nels from small shriveled kernels to improve flour yield and the need to improve dockage testing estimation techniques to distinguish betwee n small shriveled and small nonshriveled kernels.